Geesh, I wonder if anyone here has ever actually worked in Corporate America where ATTIRE IS KEY.

You don’t have to perm your hair either. I have not permed my hair since … 1969 .,. so yes, I wore my hair in a afro for 25 years or so.

A good friend also at IBM wore her hair in deadlocks. We never had a problem … but yes, we looked neat, polished off and professional in natural hair and professional suits – just like everyone else.

If a White person had stepped up in a Mohawk punk spikey style..... he would have been pulled aside too!

You’ve gotta dress the part. Who does not know this?

Now every month – we had a dress down day and everyone just went nuts . .. okay that was the day to show you personality.

I think sometimes people WEAR their issue though and that turns folks off. I worked with a gay guy – no problem, wore corp attire .. and then one day (for no particular reason) he stepped up with half his hair dyed pink. Well, no one said anything but … Then he started wearing this Lavender suit with the dark red shoes and white socks. Someone made a joke and his reaction was ‘I AM GAY .. GET USED TO IT’. The problem was not that he was gay .. it was that he wore inappropriate clothes to work,. He got fired and claimed it was discrimination – but we all just shook our heads. He started that mess. Stupid.

One co-worker attended the team meeting one day and suddenly got up there with an announcement. He was going to transition to a woman. Now this was 25 years ago and everyone just stared in shock. Okay, so bit by bit he started changing, He wore women’s eyeglasses first, and then he started with the long fake nails, and the skirts. Now he was a BIG UGLY DUDE (6’3) overweight and with a full beard so yes, he just started looking so badddd. He was in his 40’s so he already had a bold spot on his head but he grew out his scraggly hair anyway … and his 5 o’clock shadow grew in at 2:00. ,. I felt sorry for him though because he felt tortured because he felt he WAS a woman on the inside . People complained, customers complained - He got the ax too.

I have more stories like this … but basically that Black Lady at BP knew what she was doing when she stepped out in her Pan-African outfit.

Maybe she was one of those IN YOUR FACE .. I am Black person … so then yes, people are gonna be offended etc.

That was not corporate attire .. so just decided to express herself anyway .. so now she can sue for discrimination and make a some money.

I wouldn't describe wearing ethnic clothing as showcasing one's 'issue'...someone with that mindset is projecting their own feelings/biases about their 'Pan-African' roots. 'In your face' Black people make others uncomfortable? I guess we should be relegated to being marginalized to male others comfortable.

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